Index card, file or similar flat element for a filing system

ABSTRACT

Index card, file or similar flat element for a filing system, which element along one edge is provided with a code which can be read in a direction parallel to the main plane of the element. For this purpose the element is provided along one edge with a reflector of transparant material comprising at the position of the code a surface which makes an acute angle with the main plane of the element, in which surface the code is reflected.

United States Patent 1191 Van Haaften July 3, 1973 1 1 INDEX CARD, FILEOR SIMILAR FLAT ELEMENT FOR A FILING SYSTEM [75 Inventor: Johan VanHaaften, Delft,

Netherlands [73] Assignee: N.V. Optische lndustrle De Oude Delft",Delft, Netherlands 221 Filed: July 12, 1971 211 App]. No.: 161,623

[52] US. Cl. 40/359 [51] Int. Cl 1342f 21/00 [58] Field Of Search40/359,f 137, 360,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,248,814 5/1966 Zwolinski6! 31. 40/360 2,430,616 11/1947 Pearson 350/112 X 3,196,564 7/1965Boedeker 3,073,210

1/1963 Packard 350/112 X 3,590,773 7/1971 Ruppert 350/112 X FOREIGNPATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,172,044 11/1969 Great Britain 40/359 1,244,1097/1967 Germany 40/359 1,060,842 7/1959 Germany 40/360 PrimaryExaminer-Robert W. Michell Assistant Examiner-.1. H. WolffAttorney-Arthur B. Colvin [5 7] ABSTRACT lndex card, file or similarflat element for a filing system, which element along one edge isprovided with a code which can be read in a direction parallel to themain plane of the element. For this purpose the element is providedalong one edge with a reflector of transparant material comprising atthe position of the code a surface which makes an acute angle with themain plane of the element, in which surface the code is reflected.

1 Claim, 3 Drawing Figures INDEX CARD, FILE R SIMILAR FLAT ELEMENT FOR AFILING SYSTEM The invention relates to an index card, file or similarflat element for a filing system, in which a number of such elements arefiled away vertically side by side, the element being provided withmeans to read out a code identifying the element in a direction parallelto a main plane of the element.

Filing systems are known, e.g. for X-ray photographs in hospitals, inwhich special files can automatically be extracted from a plurality offiles. For this purpose the files are placed vertically side by side onshelves or they are suspended in racks, and one edge, e.g., the topedge, is provided with a bar in which a coding strip with a sufficientlylarge transverse dimension, provided with a black and white block codecan be placed. An photoelectric reading device can be moved mechanicallyalong the shelves to sense all the code strips and to extract thosefiles the code of which satisfies a preselected searching program.

The coding and fastening of such code strips is troublesome,particularly if the files have small dimensions and if transversedimension of the code strips is as small as possible to reduce therequired space. Furthermore it is possible that the code strips may befastened to the wrong files because of the fact that the files and codestrips do not form a unity.

It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a fileelement, in which the code and the element (index card, document fileetc.) form an inseparable unit, and in which the code can easily beapplied, while the transverse dimension of the required space perelement is as small as possible.

In one embodiment of the invention the code is placed adjacent one edgeof the element and in the main plane of the element, the element beingprovided with a reflector extending parallel to said edge at theposition of the code, said reflector having a surface making an acuteangle with the main plane of the element, in which surface said code isreflected.

In another embodiment the reflector by way of example is a prism of atransparent material, placed with one side on the code, a slanting sidereflecting the code. To assure that the light is converged onto thephotoelectric elements of the reading device, the surface of the prismwhich is turned to the sensing direction may have a cylinder form.

Instead of direct attaching the reflector to the card or the cover ofthe file element in a preferred embodiment of the invention thereflector is part of an envelope which at least at the position of thereflector is transparant and in which the material to be filedbearing acode can be placed. An envelope of this kind assures an exactpositioning of the reflector, is easy to handle and is reusable.

FIG. 2 shows a side elevation of a part of a filing system with twofiles according to the invention, and

FIG. 3 shows a partial cross-section of the element as showed in FIG. I.

In FIG. 1 is shown a transparant envelope 1, e.g., made of plastic foil,which is open at the top. In said first envelope fits a second envelope2 of nontransparant material on which the data to be filed can bewritten and in which a number of papers, photographs 3 etc. can bestored. One of the edges of the envelope 2 bears a code, consisting of ablack and white block code pattern 4, by means of which the file can beidentified. In the inserted position of envelope 2 the code is locatedunder a prismatic bar 5 of transparent material, e.g. plastic that isfastened to the envelope 1, e.g., by means of glue. The slanting side 6of this prism (FIG. 3) reflects the code in such a way that said codecan be read in a direction in the plane of the element, either visuallyor by means of a photo-electric reading device which can be moved alongthe front edges of a number of elements positioned vertically side byside. The light emerging from the prism can be formed into a beam bycurving the surface 7 of the prism in the form of a cylinder.

The code 4 is applied to the file element 2 together with the furtherdata so that they cannot be separated. The code may for instance beapplied either by means of a graphic pencil or by means of a key boardcontrolled code printer.

The height of the prism 5 can be small and is determined mainly by thecharacteristics of the reading head used. FIG. 2 further shows asolution giving a saving of space which can be used in case of a smallamount of data to encode. On the envelopes 8 and 8' in FIG. 2 the codecovers slightly less than half the height of the envelope. As a resultthe prisms 9 and 9' also extend over half the height. Furthermore theyare applied in an altemating way, that is prism 9 in the upper half andon one side of the element, prism 9 in the lower half and on the otherside. This permits the positioning of the envelope between parts of theframe 10 and II of the filing system so that the prisms are in a directline. By this arrangement one has to use two kinds of envelopes. Theadvantage however is that two times more files can be stored in the samespace.

While disclosures of preferred embodiments have been provided, it willbe apparent that numerous modifications and variations thereof may bemade without departing from the underlying principles of the invention.So the invention is by no means delimited to the form of the envelope asdescribed; moreover the reflector 5 may be fastened directly to the fileelement.

It is also possible that use is made of reflectors of another type,e.g., slanting reflecting metal strips, which are fastened to theenvelope by means of a turned back end portion.

What I claim is:

l. A filing system comprising a plurality of generally rectangularplanar outer envelope members, means for supporting said envelopemembers in parallel, side-byside relation with an edge portion of eachof said envelopes exposed for visual access from a direction parallel tothe plane of said envelopes, said envelopes having an informationbearing substrate disposed therein, coded indicia formed adjacent oneedge of said substrates, transparent window portions formed in saidenvelopes adjacent said exposed edge portions, said window portionsbeing coextensive with and in registry with said coded indicia of saidsubstrates so that said indicia are exposed through said windowportions, each said envelope including a prism member on the outersurface thereof, said prism members being disposed in covering relationof said window portions and in registry with said indicia on saidsubstrate, said prism members including a reflector wall angularlyoriented with respect to said envelope and directed toward said edge ofsaid envelope, whereby said indicia on said substrate are visiblethrough said prism members when viewed from said direction.

II l i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No.3,7l12,63)1 Dated July 3, 1973 Inventofls) Johan Van Haaften It iscertified that error appears in the above-identified patent and thatsaid Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

On the cover sheet after "item 21" and before "item 52" insert thefollowing:

, BQForeign Application "Priority Data Q July 28, 1970 Netherlands 7 011113 I Signed and 'sealed this 26th day of March 197R.

(SEAL At testz EDWARD I LFLETGHERJR. C. MARSHALL DANN Attesting Officer-Commissioner of Patents FORM PO-105O (10-69) uscoMM-oc scaneg 9 U. 5GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: I959 0-366-334,

1. A filing system comprising a plurality of generally rectangularplanar outer envelope members, means for supporting said envelopemembers in parallel, side-by-side relation with an edge portion of eachof said envelopes exposed for visual access from a direction parallel tothe plane of said envelopes, said envelopes having an informationbearing substrate disposed therein, coded indicia formed adjacent oneedge of said substrates, transparent window portions formed in saidenvelopes adjacent said exposed edge portions, said window portionsbeing coextensive with and in registry with said coded indicia of saidsubstrates so that said indicia are exposed through said windowportions, each said envelope including a prism member on the outersurface thereof, said prism members being disposed in covering relationof said window portions and in registry with said indicia on sAidsubstrate, said prism members including a reflector wall angularlyoriented with respect to said envelope and directed toward said edge ofsaid envelope, whereby said indicia on said substrate are visiblethrough said prism members when viewed from said direction.